Silo.



w. J. TOPLIFF.

SILO. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 23. I915.

1 1 5 1 ,42 1 Patented Aug. 24, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

25 D 15' FT l I l Willis JTo w M P I ATTORNEYS.

COLUMBIA PLANDLIRAFH $0., WASHINGTON, D. C.

W. J. TOPLIFF.

SILO. v

APPLICATION FILED l AN.23, 1915. 1,151,421.. v i Patented Aug. 24,1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INI/E/VTOH WiHisJTopHff ATTORNEYS v Unrrnn STATES PATENT orrion.

WILLIS J. TOPLIFF, OF UNADILLA, NEW YORK, ASSIG-NOR OF ONE-HALF T'O CORNIE C.

MOORE, OF UNADILL-A NE-W YQRK.

SILO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 24, 1915.

Application filed January 23,1915. Serial No. 3,911.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, \VILLIs'J. TorLIrr, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Unadilla, in the county of Otsego and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Silo, of which the following is a full, clear, and eXact description.

This invention relates tosilos, and more particularly to door frames and closing door sections therefor. 1 w

The invention has for its general objects to improve and simplify the construction of silo door frames and door sections so as to be reliableand ellicient in use, comparatively simple and easy to manufacture and so designed that the door sections can be handledwith facility. v

A more specificobject of the invention is the provision of simple, novel and effective means for clamping the door sections in closed position with the joints between the sides of the doorsections and the door frame airtight, the said clamping means being associated with a ladder rung which serves as the actuator for locking and unlocking the clamping means.

Still another object of the inventionis the provision of an improved hoop construction which provides for ready adjustment, according to the conditions of the silo, whereby tight joints can bemaintained between the staves and between the door frame and door sections. Y

With such objects in view, and others which will appear as the description pro ceeds,.the invention comprises various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be set forth with particularity in the following description and claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of the invention and wherein similar characters ,of reference indicate corresponding parts, in all the views, Figure 1 is a perspective view ,of the upper portion of a silo showinga door section being removed or applied; Fig- 2 is a perspective view ofa door section clamped brackets of a clamping means; and Fig.6 is a front view of thead usting devices of a hoop for the silo.

I Referring to the drawing, A designates a SllO which is provided with an opening-1 from top to bottom that is closed by sectional doors B which fit one above another, as shown in Fig. 1, and the side edges 2 of the door sections are suitably'shaped to interlock with the edges 3 of the door jamb members 4 so that by drawing the door sections outwardly air-tightjoints can be obtained. The interlocking edges of the parts may be shaped in any suitable manner to insure air tightness.

Each door section is provided at its ends with clamping devices C which are permanently mounted on the door sections, and both clamping devices are simultaneously locked or unlocked by a U-shaped actuator D which forms a ladder rung, and when these rungs are in pendent position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the door sections will be locked tightly in closed position. By moving a ladder rung of a doorsection upwardly theolamping means for such door section will be unlocked so that the door section can be removed.

Each clamping means comprises a bracket 5 formed with a base 6 that is fastened by bolts or other means? to the door section B. The outstanding portion of the bracket has a pivot stud 8 which is disposed inwardly from the adjacent side edge of the door section so that the door section can be moved from withinthe silooutwar dly through the door opening without the bracket or any part thereof interfering, as when they door section is being adjusted to closed position. The axis of this pivot stud 8 is disposed at a slight angle to the front surface of the door section and onthis pivot stud is a rotatable clampingelement 9 in the form of a disk which has alaterally extending cam portion or arcuate flange 10 which is eccentric to the pivot stud 8, so that by turning the clamping element 9 this flange 10 will engage the adjacent door jamb 4: and draw the door section B outwardly to efiect an air-tight joint between the edges 2 and 3, as shown in Fig. 3 and at the same time the door section is drawn downwardlyhinto airtight contact with the top edge of the.ad-

ja'cent door section. By disposing the" pivot stud at an angle to the plane of the door section it is merely necessary to turn the clampng'elementi) throughan arc of one hundred and eighty degrees more or less, whereby the .1

door section can be movediforwardly from within the silo to a closed position Without the clamping element 0 interfering by en gaging the sides of the door opening. The clamping element C when in unlocked position is shown by dottedlines, Fig. 3. To render this construction more substantial and provide an effective bearing for the clamping element, the bracket 5 is formed with a circular plateor disk 11, from the center of which the pivot stud 8 extends, and on the rear side of the clamping element, 9 are lugs 12and 13 which engage behind the circular plate 11 and thereby retain the clamping element 9 on the pivot stud ,8. The periphery of the disk 11 has a recess 14 to permit the lug 13 to pass in assembling or removing the clamping element.

The clamping elements 9 of each door sec tion are actuated together by means of the ladder rungs-D, and the side members 15 of these ladder rungs pass through ears or flanges. 16 extending inwardly from the clamping elements 9, these ears having elongated openings 17 through which the members15 extend. These members 15 have I journals 18 which enter openings 19 in the sides of the brackets 5, whereby the rung elementv D will swing on a horizontal axis and at the same time move the clamping elements 9 to and from locking position. Each journal 18 may have a lug 20 which passes through a recess 21 in the journal bearing opening 19 of the bracket 5 in-assembling the parts. each arm 15 swings in a single plane but the clamping element 9 rotates on an axis at an angle tosuch plane, and therefore the open.- ing 17 in the ear 16 must be long enough to provide clearance for the arm 15 in its swinging movement, and by engagement of this arm with the opposite edges of the opening 17 theclamping element 9 is caused to rotate on its axis. The horizontal portion 15 of theladder rung D is the rung proper and this normally lies below the pivotal axis formed by the journals 18, and the. rung 15 is supported forwardly from the door section B, as shown in Fig. 2, this being efiected by stop lugs 23 on the clamping elements 9 engaging lugs 24 on the bases 6 of the brackets 5. When the lugs 23 and 24 engage the cams or'flanges 10 will be jammed against the door frame, whereby the door sections will be clamped in closed position. As the camsor flanges 10 are comparatively wide a large area of bearing is maintained against the door frame so that wear or injury of the wood is avoided.

9 According to changes in the condition of the, wood of the silo it is necessary to adjust thehoops from'time to time. The hoops E are made with adjustable sections 25 which It will be noted that extendacross the door opening 1, and their threaded ends 26 passthrough single lugs27 on the ends ofo-bliquely disposed brackets 28 fastened to the members A of the door frame, and on the threaded ends 26 are nuts 29 and 29 engaging opposite sides of the lugs 27 whereby ardoor frame opening can be kept at the proper width for the perfect fitting of the door sections. The brackets 28 also have single lugs 30 for receiving threaded ends 81 of the main section of the 'hoopE, and on these threaded ends are nuts 32 whereby the'hoop can be drawn up or let out, as conditions require, for maintaining tight joints between the staves of the silo.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and method of operation, will be readily understocdby those skilled in'th'e art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation, together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and thatsuch changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent; r w

l. A silo door section, clamping devices pivotally mounted thereon and each swinging on an axis'disposed obliquely to the planeof the door section, each clamping device having a curved cam surface at one side of the pivotal center, and a laterally projecting apertured lug at the opposite side of the pivotal center, and a one-piece the door section and having its side mem bers extending through the apertured lugs of the clamping devices for rotating the same in both directions, said clamping devices being held against movement along the aXes on which they rotate.

, 3. A silo door section, brackets thereon, a one-piece U-shaped ladder rung set in between the brackets and pivotally connected therewith, clamping devices pivotally mounted on the brackets at the sides thereof opposite from the rung, means for operatively connecting the rung with the clamping devices for rotating the same,'said devices including cams projectable beyond the edges of the door section, and interengaging means between the brackets, and devices for preventing the latter from moving axially.

4. A silo door section, bearing brackets thereon, a rotatable clamping element on each bracket and formed with an eccentric flange adapted to project beyond the adjacent side edge ofthe door section to engage the silo and draw the door section tightly to closed position in the silo opening, the axis of rotation of the elements being at an acute angle to the face of the door section and a ladder rung of fixed length pivotally mounted on the brackets and engaged with the clamping elements for moving the same to and from looking position.

5. The combination ot a silo having an opening, a door section fitting in the opening, clamping means mounted on the door section at the side edges, and a ladder rung of fixed length pivotally connected with the door section for rotating the said means each means including an element rotatable on an axis disposed at an acute angle to the door formed with an eccentric flange to engage the silo at the sides of the opening.

6. The combination of a silo having an opening, a door section in the opening, brackets on the door section, pivots on the brackets disposed at an angle to the plane of the door section, rotatable clamping elements mounted on [the pivots and having eccentric flanges for engaging the silo at opposite sides of the opening when the clamping elements, are in one position and adapted to lie between the side edges of the door section when the clamping elements are in, a different position, a swinging ladder rung having side members pivotally mounted on the brackets, and the clamping elements having apertured ears through which the side members of the ladder rung extend,

whereby the latter in swinging operates the clamping element.

7. The combination of a bracket, a rotatable element pivotally mounted on one side of the bracket and having an eccentric portion, a swinging member pivotally mounted on the bracket at the opposite side from the said element, an apertured lug on the said element and through which the member engages for actuating the element.

8. The combination of a bracket having a base and formed with a disk portion disposed at an angle to the base, a pivot at right-angles to the said disk and disposed at the center thereof, a clamping element rotatably mounted on the pivot and having a laterally extending cam portion projecting from one side and an apertured lug projecting from the opposite side, and an actuating m'emb'er pivotally mounted on the bracket and passing through a lug for moving the clamping element by the swinging of the said member.

9. The combination of a bracket having a base and formed with a disk portion disposed at an angle to the base, a pivot at right-angles to the said disk and disposed at the center thereof, a clamping element rotatably mounted on the pivot and having a laterally extending cam portion projecting from one side and an apertured lug projecting from the opposite side, an actuating member pivotally mounted on the bracket and passing through a lug for moving the clamping element by the swinging of the said member, and flanges on the clamping element engaging the said disk for retaining the element on the pivot.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of Gopies of this patent may be. obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of I'atents,

1 Washington, D. 0; 

